Building structure and wall



5 Sheets-Sheet l H. GUNNISON Filed Feb, 14, 1959 BUILDING STRUCTURE ANDWALL Sept. 29, 1.942.

Sept. 29, i942. H. GUNNlsoN BUILDING STRUCTURE AND-WALL Filed Feb. 14,1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 29,1942

UNITED sTATEs PATENT A.ol-FICE BUILDING STRUCTURE AND WALL HughGunnison, Altadena, Calif.

. Application February 14, 1939, Serial No. 256,305

(Cl. 2li-4) 8 Claims.

' 'I'his invention relates to building structures and walls thereof, andrefers particularly to building structures and walls constructed ofprefabricated members.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a buildingstructure or wall thereof which can be largely merely assembled in theerection of a structure or wall from prefabricated elements which areeut to proper dimensions in la factory or mill at a distance from thepoint of assembly.

A large portion of the cost of constructing buildings and walls inaccordance with past plans is the cost of specially forming and shapingdifferent building elements at the site of the building. means by whichthe cost of constructing buildings may be materially altered through thedesign of a structure, the individual components of which may becompleted at a manufacturing plant or'mill where this work may be donein a quantity and with machinery set in place, thereby materiallyreducing the cost of the separate members, and leaving for constructionat the building site substantially only the work of t- ,ting togetherand assembling the elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a building orwall faced generally with plywood facings and containing interilttingbottom rails or plates and top rails or plates together with reinforcingstuds, all of which may be prefabricated and merely assembled together.Various plans have vheretofore been suggested for factory fabrication ofelements of a building or building Wall, but in general such plans. haveproved unsatisfactory in that they have not adequately provided means bywhich the desired wall openings, such as window openings and dooropenings, may be incorporated at the various positions required indifferent buildings.

The present invention, therefore, has for its further object to providea building or wall structure therefor which incorporates prefabricatedelements, designed to enable the assembly of window or door openingswith the desired :lambs and casing therefor formed as component parts ofprefabricated* members. Y v

A further object of the present invention is to provide a form pfbuilding wall or structure in which the various prefabricated members,in-

cluding the plywood facings, are all adapted to be integrated togetherinthe finished or composite building wall to provide a united lovad- Thepresent invention provides' sidered in connection with the amount ofbuilding materials incorporated therein.

Various further objects and advantages of the present invention will beunderstood from a description of a preferred form orforms of build-Vstructure of the door opening with the facing panels removed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged `vertical section on the line 4 4 of Figure 1 infront of the stud which forms the door jamb and casing.

Figure 5 is a fragmentaryfhorizontal section of a wall structure as usedin an interior corner.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of the wall through one of the windowopenings.

Figure 'I is a fragmentary section on the line 1 1 of Figure 6 with thefacing panels removed. Figure 8 is a detail 'of the head jamb of window.

Figure 9 is an enlarged elevation of the head jamb for the window.

Figure 10 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 9. y

Figure 11 is a rear view Figure 11.

Figure 12 is a section on the line I2| 2 of Figure 9.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary plan section of a corner post. v

of the jamb shown in Referring to the drawings, the buildingmayY `formedof plywood and are of a width so that when set in the recesses 3 vof thebottom rail their outer faces are flush with the faces of the bottomrail 2. Between the facing members 4 the wall structure is thus providedwith the space 5, which maybe used to house any desired sustaining wallof exceptional strength when coniixtures for the building. There isalso-provided 2 v acompte f l l I i a top rail 6, which in the case of abuilding of a single story in height may be similar in form to thebottom rail 2 turned over to have its recesses 1 at the bottom corners,or where additional stories are to be'constructed the top rail 6 has itsupper corners 8 also recessed for the purpose of receiving the ends ofthe facings 4. the top and bottom rails and of a width to cor'- respondto the distance between the 4facings 4 ends of the studs I3 so as toform interlocking connections with head jambs 30 for the doors,

are provided vertical studs 9 and cross members I0 of any usual ordesired form of construction. Now, referring more particularly toFigures 9 to 12, inclusive, where a window opening is to j occur in abuilding wall, I provide a specially prefabricated stud I3, which studhas preformed thereon as an integral part thereof portionsdesigned forforming the vertical jamb and casements of the desired window opening.For this purpose, the stud I3 is indicated as having the casing formingprojections I4 at its sid/es, the upper ends lof which may be mitered,as indicated at I5. Adjacentv the upper end of the casing formingprojection of the stud I3, the stud is provided with a socket I6, whichis intended to perform a part of the means. forming an interlockingengagement with the head jamb of the window. At the rear of the doorjamb there are provided grooves I1 of a width to receive the edges ofthe facings 4, so that no special cutting of the plywood facingsextending along the sides of the windows is necessary. The studs I3 arefurther provided at their upper ends at each side with shoulders I'Ii ata height slightly lower than the uppermost portion of the casementportions I4, which shoulders I1 are intended to serve as bearings forsupporting the plywood facings 4 which are to be mounted above thewindows, wherebythe weight of such facings may be properly imposed uponthe studs I3. The lower endof the casing forming projections I4v of thestud I3 are cut at a taper, as indicated at I8, and the body of the studI3 is there provided with a tapered crossfcut opening I9, the purpose ofwhich is to receive the sill of the window.

Referring particularly to Figures 6, 7, and 8 of the drawings, I providespecially prefabricated headjambs for such window openings, such headjambs 20 having projections 2| which are adapted t'o form theheadcasements of the win-v dows, and are mitered to interilt with themitered faces ofthe projections I4 of the studs I3 which form thevertical jambs of the window opening. Between the projections 2I andthebody of the head jambs 20 on their upper faces the head jambs areprovided with grooves 22 intended to yreceive the lower edges of theVfacing members 4 which form the wall above the opening, the base of thegrooves 22 being subtsantially in line in the assembled position withthe shoulders I1* of the studs I3. The ends of the head jambs areprovided with the tongues 23 adapted to interiit with the socket I6 insuch position as to bring the casing portions 2I against thecomplementary portions I4 of the stud. v

The bottom sill 241s indicated as comprising a tapered member havinggrooves 25 at its lower end for receiving the upper edges of the facingmembers 4 and with'the raised portion 26 between the` stud portions. Theends of the sills 24 are provided with the vertical grooves 21; so thatwhen the sills are set in the sockets I9 of the studs I3 and thevertical grooves 21 of the bottom sills will register with the verticalgrooves I1 of the studs I3 so that the edges'of the facings 4 may extendunder the bottom sills 24.

Between Y Now. referring particuiany to Figmes 3 and 4 v- 0f thedlwings, the (1001' Openings are 60D.-

structed in a manner somewhat similar to the ing projections 29 forforming the casement of the door, and at the upper end of such casementsthe studs 28 are shaped-similarly' to the upper which head jambs aresimilar in construction to the head'jambs 20 of the window openings. Theeasement forming projections 29 of the studs 28 15 extend to the floorin case of the door openings,

20 I have indicated a form of post or stud 33 which may be usedin abuilding wall constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention where the interior corner exists, in

Referring to Figure 13 of the drawings, I have indicatedV a preferredconstruction of a corner post or stud 35 whichfis-preferably setdiagonally of th corner and provided with a V-shaped surface 36 forreceiving. the inner facing members 4 and with a pointed end 31 groovedas indicated at 38 to receive the ends of the outer facing members andto continue the wall face to the Cornel'.

While the particular form of building and building wall herein describedis well adapted to carry out the objects of the present invention, it isto be understood that the invention is capable 40 of considerablemodications, particularly in that the modifications may be `made in the,means used for interlocking or connecting the various studs ,with thejambs and casements of the windows and door openings, which can beprovided 45 with interlocking connections of a great variety of form.The present invention is not limited to the particular form hereindescribed for the purpose of illustrating the same, but it includes allsuch changes and modications asA come within the scope of ,the appendedclaims.

surfaces therewith, studs between said'rail members, the studscontiguous to wall openings being shaped to provide the vertical jambsandr casements for said openings and provided with fac- 'j dingsupporting bearing surfaces at their upper ends, and head jamb membersfor .said openings having casing providing portions adapted to interiitwith said latter stud members.

'2. A stud for a wall structure having projections formed to provideeasement portions for a wall opening, vertical grooves between the bodyof the said stud and said projections adapted to intert with wallfacings, and bearing surfaces at the upper end of said projectionsadapted to provide vertical support for wall facing members,

the stud being provided with means adapted to form portions for saidwall openings, vertical grooves between said body portion and said enlwall facings. Y Y

4. A wall structure including wall facing members and studs, the studshaving laterally extended portions forming vertical easement portions,vertical grooves provided between the body of the studs and saidvertical easement portions, certain of said facing members interttingwith said grooves, vhorizontal bearing faces at the upper ends of saideasement portions, and certain of said facing members contacting saidbearing faces and vertically supported thereby.-

5. A wall structure including wall facing members and studs, the studshaving laterally extended portions forming vertical casement portionsand having vertical facing member fitting grooves, horizontallydisposedv projections of said studs forming bearings for facing members,and a horizontal jamb having interlocking nt with said studs and havingprojections formed to provide easement portions 'and having groovesadaptedto align with said horizontal bearings.

6. A wall structure including wall facing members and' studs, the studshaving laterally extended portions forming vertical easement portionsand having vertical facing member fitting grooves, horizontally dispodprojections of said studs forming bearings for facing members, ahorizontal jamb having interlocking t with said studs and havingprojections formed to provide easement portions and grooves adapted toalign with said horizontal bearings,

`and rails lnterengaging with said wall facing formed thereon easementportions and having interlocking engagement with such studs.

8. A'wall structure including wall facing mem: bers, bottom and toprails having intertting connections with said facing members, studsextending between said bottom and top rails and enclosed by and bearingagainst the inner surfaces of said facin'g members, the studs adjacentthe wall openings having easement forming pro-Y jections overlapping theedges of adjacent wall facings and -provided with bearing surfaces for awall facing disposed above said easement forming projections and havingsockets for receiving jamb .v members. 3g HUGH GUNNISON,

